Horological Meandering

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Hampden Watch: 100 Years of American Watchmaking

Owners of the Brands Hampden, Clinton Watch Company, Neuvex and Benrus for a period.

The Hampden Watch Company began as the Mozart Watch Company in 1866 when Donald J. Mozart founded the company in Providence, Rhode Island. This company soon failed, but in 1867 he reorganized the firm as the New York Watch Company, with production facilities in Springfield, Massachusetts. Three years later, the company's factory burnt to the ground. Finally, in 1877, the company reopened, doing business as the Hampden Watch Company.

In 1886, Dueber, who had been making cases for the Hampden Watch Company, purchased a controlling interest in it. (Sounds Familiar 😊)

In 1888, Dueber moved both companies to a dual set of factory buildings in Canton, Ohio. In their first year in Canton, the combined firms employed almost 10% of the city's population.

In 1925, John Dueber sold the company to Walter Vrettman. In 1927, falling sales led to the company going into receivership. In 1930, Amtorg Trading Corporation purchased the Dueber-Hampden Watch Company together with all of the manufacturing equipment, parts on hand, and work in progress, in order to build a factory in Russia. 28 boxcars of machinery left Canton, together with 21 Dueber Hampden employees to teach the Russians the craft of watchmaking.

As the Nazi army closed in on Moscow, during Autumn of 1941, the factory was hurriedly evacuated to Zlatoust, where more than 300,000 Zlatoust Type-1 watches and clocks were made. By 1943, the Moscow factory was re-established and renamed the First Moscow Watch Factory and continued the manufacture of pocket watches and stopwatches, as well as the Type-1 191-ChS watch for Soviet Navy divers.





























Source: Google Images

In the 1950s, the Hampden Watch Company brand rights were acquired by the Wein family of Chicago, who integrated them into their Clinton Watch Company business. The family continues to operate under the Hampden name into the 21st century.

Source: Wikipedia













Source: Google Images

Their Watchmaking Course reminded me of the one offered by Herr Paul Gerber

www.watchprosite.com /



Very Cool!




This message has been edited by India Whiskey Charlie on 2026-04-09 13:41:51